Journey On
by Silvereyes12
Summary: The story of JJ and Emily, from the beginning.
1. Beginnings, the Prentiss Version

**Journey On  
><strong>_Chapter One: Beginnings, the Prentiss Version._

_Summary: This is a total AU story about the beginnings of JJ and Emily.  
><em>_Chapter Summary: Introduction to the Prentiss family, and when I say introduction, I didn't say it was a nice, happy introduction.  
><em>_Warnings: Domestic abuse for the first two chapters, language warnings throughout the whole story. Will give more warnings as chapters come.  
><em>_Spoilers: None._

XxX

_Location: Moscow, Russia_

_Date: November 13, 1972_

She jerked awake, but she wasn't quite sure why. Listening closely, she heard a distinct roar that sounded a bit like her father, and the oncoming sobs of her younger sister. Padding silently down to her sister's room, she stopped short, stunned at what she was hearing.

The cry of the two-year old toddler pierced the night, as her father advanced on her holding a silver knife. He had been drinking the whole night and had gradually grown violent, and in his current state, was murderous.

Brandishing it at the child, he growled, "Shut up!" The cries increased exponentially in volume.

Ignoring him, the toddler cried on, her distress apparent, because no child would like a sharp knife shoved in her face, but her father, in his drunken state, did not pick up on it. He grew only more angry and implusive.

Shaking the child roughly, he shouted, "Shut up, you little piece of shit or I'll slash your throat!" And he almost did, if it weren't for the blur of red and black that pushed him.

"You son of a bitch, she's only two!"

Jessica Prentiss snarled at her father, "What right do you have to kill a two year old for crying? She's only a child! She's your own flesh- and-blood and you're going to _slash her throat because she's crying?_"

Christopher Prentiss pushed his eldest daughter back, pinning her to the wall from the throat, with his knife pointed at her face, "I don't give a fuck! Child or no child she has to shut the hell up!"

Slapping her rather inebriated father across the face, she yelled back, "She's _two!_ Did you cry when you were two, Father? Did your father brandish a knife at your face and threaten to kill you when you cried, Father? Did he?"

Releasing his grip on his eldest child, he turned back to the youngster and raised his knife, murder evident in his manic eyes, and there was a shout of, _"No!"_

The knife plunged, once, twice, thrice.

A groan of pain echoed through the room, and Christopher Prentiss recoiled, staring at what he had wrought upon his child. Her furious chocolate brown eyes stared unflinchingly at him, still defying with her eyes, but not in body.

As Elizabeth Prentiss' shocked eyes witnessed the scene before her, her daughter's prone body dropped amidst the shrill screams of the sobbing toddler.

As her security detail piled into the room, they arrested her husband, the man she'd lived with for fifteen years, the man who just about murdered his daughter in cold blood.

And for the first time in fifteen years, tears ran down her face as she approached the barely moving body. She brushed away the stray strands of black hair, and she felt a hand encircle her wrist, and as she looked up into Jessica Prentiss' dark eyes, she heard the haunting words.

"Take care of her, Mother."

Her brown eyes burned into her own, "Promise me."

She bowed her head, squeezing her fallen daughter's hand lightly, "I promise, Jess."

With that, the girl's hand thudded to the ground, her eyes closing for the last time.

Allowing a few more tears to fall before withdrawing into the famous Prentiss mask, Elizabeth stood and looked at her now only child. She had quieted, sensing that something was seriously not right, and her slightly chubby arms reached for the comfort of her mother.

She picked up the little girl, whispering soothingly in her ear, and hurried her out, before the youngest and only Prentiss child could see her older sister… her late older sister.

"It's okay, Emily, we'll be okay."

The toddler quieted in her mother's arms, and twisted around to look at the body of her older sister. Her lower lip quivered, and the tears poured freely, once again, but she didn't make a sound. Emily Prentiss was still too young to understand what had just happened, but the nightmares would plague for a very long time. Her mind stored this night forever, and even though she was only two, she pushed it back into the back of her mind so she didn't have to think about it. Even though she would never know the person as she aged, she would remember what the girl did for her.

Elizabeth Prentiss knew that she had a very intelligent child, a child proficient in the art of compartmentalization already. It was ingrained into the Prentiss blood, and her mother who relied on compartmentalization for her job. Perhaps she'd make a good politician, walking in her mother and father's footsteps. But she wasn't sure she could box this scene that just happened, and go on like nothing had happened. Her own husband had just killed their daughter, and the son of a bitch was smirking like he'd just won the lottery. One day, she vowed, she'd make him pay.

Christopher Prentiss remained impassive as he was led down to the Russian police station where he would be held, but he smirked, because he knew he would be out of here by the morning. His contacts were more than capable of getting him out of here without fuss. He could return home soon. And hopefully, he'd teach both of them a lesson. He wanted to feel that thrill again, the thrill of having taken a life. He wanted to feel that again.

As the techs in the Prentiss home zipped up the black body bag, they each whispered a prayer to the gods, that this child would find peace above, the precious child who sacrificed herself for her younger sister. And, yes, Jessica Prentiss was at peace, observing her broken, dysfunctional family from above, hoping that her beloved little sister would be fine. And as she faded, she smiled. She would send someone for her sister.

Someone would properly take care and love her younger sister. Someone Emily could lean on and tell her secrets to. Someone she could trust and relate to.

But, Jessica Prentiss knew, her sister would have to suffer through a lot more before she could get there. Also, Jessica knew, the person she would send would have to suffer through much too, like a dark parallel path to her sister. Someone just as strong as she was and would survive through it.

And somewhere, in the darkness in Russia, Emily Prentiss cried as she felt something, _someone_, she loved, disappeared.

**A/N: Something different than I'd usually write. And, for the record, there is a lot of JJ and Emily 'whumping' in here. So... enjoy. Will be updating soon. Dedicated to my dear friend, 4/19/95 - 5/2/11.**

**Next chapter: Beginnings, the Jareau Version.**

**~S12**


	2. Beginnings, the Jareau Version

**Journey On  
><strong>_Chapter Two: Beginnings, the Jareau Version._

_Summary: The story of JJ and Emily, from the beginning.  
>Chapter Summary: This is the Jareau family, and honestly isn't that much different from the Prentiss' family. But… they don't know that.<br>Warnings: Domestic abuse, violence, language… blah, blah, blah.  
>Spoilers: None.<em>

_A/N: Sorry if the timeline confuses you, it's alternate between Emily and JJ, and as we all know, there is an age difference._

XxX

Location: East Allegheny, Pennsylvania.  
>Date: November 13, 1975.<p>

A wineglass shattered as it hit the window, the woman barely dodging it. And she dodged yet another… something thrown at her. She glanced up at her husband, his dark blue eyes wild with rage.

As Diane Jareau hit the ground, once again barely avoiding the glass thrown at her, she cried out, pleading with her husband to stop.

"Damnit, David! Stop it! Do you really want JJ and Jackie to wake up and see this?"

Which, apparently, was the wrong thing to say.

His dark blue eyes flashed, before he ground out, "I don't care about JJ. If she can't handle it, she can go elsewhere!"

Diane stared at him, seething. "Did you forget how old she is, David? She's only one! I can't just make her _go elsewhere_!"

A police siren sounded, alerting both parents how loudly they had been fighting. Loudly enough for the neighbors to call the police. And sadly enough, this wasn't the first time, rather something like the seventh.

David Jareau had been observed by the police heavily for domestic abuse charges. And when he was under observation, he was been on his best behavior, playing the loving father and doting husband, but what lurked beneath the façade was anger, hatred and darkness. Three things that Diane Jareau had never expected from this man, the man she thought she knew and married. Something, however, had changed in the ten years they had been together. Whether, he had been harboring this hatred and anger for years, or she had said or done something to provoke him. But until a year ago, their fights were limited to verbal abuse. But physical abuse, she had never expected.

He was always the one to start throwing something or throwing punches and kicks. And she took it, because she knew that if she took it, the lives of her daughters, Jackie and Jennifer Jareau, wouldn't be at stake. And, she wondered if her pregnancy had set him off. He had never been this furious when it was just Jackie, but when Jennifer appeared, he seemed to snap.

She was dodging yet another wineglass when the police burst in the door, which woke up both Jackie and Jennifer, and arrested her husband for domestic violence. And she observed his bearing, his posture, and she didn't really see any regret, and not for the first time, she wondered if David enjoyed wielding that kind of power over her, because if he did, she'd be running out of the front door. She wasn't going to put her daughters in danger, and if he kept it up, they would be.

"Mom?"

The tiny voice of her eldest daughter carried over to her, before she waved them over, cautioning Jackie of the broken glass. Jennifer simply stared at her, her bright blue eyes curious, yet questioning. The childlike innocence of the youngest Jareau had not been lost, but Jackie had seen and heard too much in the short six years of her life. She might have been younger, Diane noted, but the lines around her mouth and eyes showed that she may be young in body, but old is spirit. Therapy, perhaps?

"Ma-ma, ma-ma." JJ babbled on, her arms flailing and body flailing around in her sister's arms. Diane gently took the baby from her daughter, cooing at her, comforting her. She adored her children, and she would protect them no matter what the cost.

Even if it meant allowing herself get beat up every day after her husband came back.

This night would be known through East Allegheny by the morning. It was such as small town and information passed though the houses the way a wildfire spreads in a thick forest. She knew she and David would be the main source of gossip over the next couple days, and she hoped Jackie would be able to get through it. The kids at school would either make fun of her or comfort her. She hoped it was the latter.

Jennifer was still too young to understand, so she'd probably not be as affected by it, but she would definitely sense something was wrong. She was a smart child, brilliant already, in her own way. She would grow up to be a wonderful young woman one day.

XxX

Jackie Jareau was six, and she was intuitive enough to know that when her daddy was mad, she should take her baby sister and herself upstairs and lock them in her room, pretending to be asleep. She knew that daddy was hurting her mommy, but mommy wouldn't fight back. She didn't understand why though.

She huddled in a corner, rocking Jennifer, her baby sister, off to sleep, singing softly so that she wouldn't have to hear the glass shattering and the echoes of shouts throughout the house. She knew that if mommy and daddy fought any louder, neighbors would call the police. And she dearly hoped they would, because she knew mommy couldn't escape from daddy all the time.

She heard her mommy yell a bad word, then heard her mommy beg her daddy to stop. She didn't think that daddy would, because daddy didn't contain an ounce of self-control, whatever that meant. She knew that's what mommy said though, and mommy is always right. She remembered the night, a few months ago, when Jennifer was still a couple months old, when the police came and took daddy away. She heard mommy say that they would be under obser… obser… obsercation? Whatever the word was, she had the feeling it wasn't for a good thing.

Her mommy told her, no matter what happens, to protect herself and Jennifer first because her mommy wouldn't be able to handle it if they got hurt. So that's what she did every time.

She heard the police burst in, and arrest her daddy, before she breathed a little prayer to God for protecting her and JJ again. She headed down the stairs, carrying Jennifer, while watching carefully from broken glass, because she knew daddy liked to throw wineglasses when he was angry. She peeked around the corner, scared that her daddy would still be there and throw glass at her too. But her daddy had already been taken away by the police, so she was safe.

She herself understood that mommy was hurt, and she knew that she needed to protect JJ from whatever happened in the house.

XxX

Jennifer Jareau may have only been a year old, but that didn't stop her from trying to understand the situation.

She caught the noises from the kitchen, but she didn't understand what they meant. All she really understood was that her big sister was protecting her from whatever happened downstairs. So she remained quiet, not wanting to cause any trouble to her sister.

If anything, she was a very empathetic child.

When her big sister carried her down the stairs, she reached out to her mommy because she knew that it would make her mommy feel better.

And, safely wrapped in her mother's arms, Jennifer Jareau felt safe.

**A/N: -whump- So, here's the introduction of the Jareau family. I really only wanted JJ and her sister because if they had other siblings it be waaaay too complicated. I did warn you that this wasn't going to be sunshine and roses, but hey, if you like it read on! If this stuff hits a bit too close to home, or if you're a bit sensitive, I get it. **

**Next chapter will be a Prentiss one. Not quite sure what to name the chapter though. Heads up, the next one will be heading back to 1974, a year before this one. Sorry for the crazy chronological stuff. Forgive me, and review! **

**Toodles!  
>~S12<strong>


	3. The Point of it All

**Journey On  
><strong>_Chapter Three: The Point of it All._

_Summary: Story of Emily and JJ, from the beginning.  
>Chapter Summary: Emily is four years old, but she wants to know why her daddy's like this. So she goes to visit a family member.<br>Warnings: Mentions of domestic abuse.  
>Spoilers: None.<em>

XxX

Location: Chernobyl, Russia  
>Date: August 29, 1974<p>

The three year old Emily Prentiss wandered through the halls of her rather large home. Babbling softly as she explored the upper levels, she came across a room with a lot of boxes in it. There were probably hundreds, or so it seemed to her, and they were all stacked neatly and labeled. Just like her mind, all organized and packed-away feelings and thoughts.

She could compartmentalize like her mother, except she was only three. The only times when compartmentalization failed her was a night, when her subconscious took over, and she had nightmares, her mother called them. Always of silver and red, and a girl that looked a bit like her except older. She remembered a knife, and crying… lots of crying.

She didn't remember if it was her or someone else.

The child turned back to the numerous boxes, before she climbed up the boxes, winced when the bruises and cuts pulled, and tried to lift one. It was surprisingly light. She dropped it neatly back on the ground, taking care not to fall or drop any other boxes. She looked at the label on the box. It was titled 'Jess P.'

Emily frowned slightly. Who was Jess P.? She would ask her mother later. She carefully lifted the top, as well as a three year old could, and peered into the contents. She lifted up artwork, and drawings, and old possessions before she came across a picture. Picking it up with her slightly chubby fingers, she looked at the people in the picture.

There was the girl in her dreams, her mom and dad, and a little baby in the picture. Emily thought it was herself. She must really remember to ask her mother. She carefully replaced everything in the box except the photo. Climbing slowly down the boxes, and cringing when her body protested the movement, she returned to the living room, intending to ask her mother, except…

"Where the hell were you?"

The sharp voice of her father grated through the air, making her flinch. She withdrew into herself, leaving her face impassive and posture perfect.

She had been taught perfect speech by age two and half, so she responded in a clear, high voice, "I was looking around, Father." She didn't miss the flash of anger cross his face at the 'Father'. She wondered why her father was always so angry, so belli… belli… belli-something. She heard her mother say that once.

She tensed when her father stalked closer, and she froze, not breathing when he knelt to her level, his voice dangerously calm and low. "I'll ask again. _Where were you?_" When she tried to from a response, she pondered slowly, and she didn't have a chance to react when the father's hand sent her body flying. Landing hard, she heard her mother gasp.

She shook her head.

Mother was afraid of father, which is why she would never, ever stand up for Emily when her father beat her around the room, giving her a huge collection of bruises. This was why her body hurt all the time. She always had to fake health and happiness at school so that her secret wouldn't be revealed. She refused to let anyone touch her, because her three year old mind understood that if she was so much as touched, she would flinch at that would be unacceptable.

Her mother had constantly drilled the same phrase over and over again. "You are a Prentiss."

She knew how a Prentiss acted. Proper, polite, impassive, anything that would benefit her and her mother. A Prentiss compartmentalized. A Prentiss didn't show emotion. She understood all of this. Her mother may have ignored her half the time, but she never withheld to Emily about how smart she was.

And now, watching her father tower over her, she scrambled to her feet and ran out of the house, hearing her father shout at her to stop, and hearing her mother try to stop him. Then she heard the sound of a hand meeting flesh and the pained groan from her mother.

Why was her father like this?

She toddled over to her hiding place, the place she ran to when the things at home became too overwhelming. Staring at the clouds, she spoke. She never really knew who she was talking to, but her mother said that someone was always watching over her. So she always talked to the clouds, or the stars.

"Why? Why Father always angry? I didn't do anything wrong. I just exploring. It a big house and there a lot of rooms I not seen, so why I cannot look 'round? And why mother not help me? What did Father do to make her scared like that? I only three, and Father beat me like I is older." She paused here, sniffling a bit, the pain of hitting the tile floor finally registering.

She curled in a ball, whimpering. "Why me?" she whispered at the fluffy white clouds.

XxX

Jessica Prentiss watched the scene below from above, watching her mother just stand by and watch, while her sister flew halfway across the room. Her anger flared. _She had promised!_ But after Emily fled the scene, going to the place where she always did, between the rosebushes, she watched her father beat her mother, where she mercifully passed out.

She listened to the heart-breaking words her sister uttered, before she curled up, the pain taking her at last. She would always watch over her sister, her beloved sister who she sacrificed herself for. And God so help the person that hurt her. Her father would face her wrath soon enough, and when he did, he would know what the meaning of pain was.

She was looking forward to the day.

XxX

Elizabeth Prentiss woke in her own bed, and she knew the servants had gotten her there. The servants knew enough to keep their mouths shut, because she suspected that Christopher had blackmailed and threatened them.

She only hoped that Emily would make it home okay. She was a strong girl, but only a child, and last year she had lost her sister. She wasn't sure if Emily remembered or not. She knew that she was breaking her promise to Jessica, but God, that was a hard promise to keep. She'd try harder next time.

But for now, she had to go find Emily.

**A/N: This one isn't as dark. And for the bad grammar, do you really expect a three year old to have perfect grammar? She might be smart and know every word… but grammar? I think not. **

**Next chapter: Endless Nights. It's a JJ one. That one will be a tad bit darker than this. For the notice, I will be following the storyline in Risky Business, 5.13, but we need to get to when JJ's eleven, which will not be anytime soon.**

**Toodles, and review!  
>~S12<strong>


	4. Endless Nights

**Journey On  
><strong>_Chapter Four: Endless Nights_

_Summary: Story of Emily and JJ, from the beginning.  
>Chapter Summary: Jackie can't kept protecting JJ like this. Not without outside support, which she doesn't have.<br>Warnings: Language, self-injury, and domestic abuse.  
>Spoilers: Risky Business, 5.13.<em>

XxX

Location: East Allegheny, Pennsylvania.  
>Date: January 17, 1980<p>

Six-year old Jennifer Jareau sat quietly in her room, waiting for the shouting to stop. She knew how it would be. There would be things thrown, things, often inappropriate, said, things that she wished she could block out.

She curled up under the covers, praying someone, anyone, to make it stop. She didn't react when she heard her door open and click shut, the lock sliding into place.

"JJ."

She knew the voice of her sister anywhere. Her sister was now eleven, older and it seemed like she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders. She had changed. She wore nothing but long sleeves and jeans, and JJ knew what lay under the cloth.

Rows and rows of cuts.

Jackie Jareau was hurting so bad, and she was always looking out for her, but no one was there to support her. The friends at school, JJ knew, had taken to avoiding her and now Jackie had no one to rely one but herself. JJ knew she couldn't help. This was an internal battle that JJ couldn't fight for her.

"Are you okay?" The tired voice of Jackie floated through the blanket. JJ stuck her head out and nodded. "Yeah. It'd be nice if they stopped yelling though."

Jackie snorted. "Do they ever stop shouting?"

"Nope."

Jackie sighed, defeated. "I don't know if I can do this anymore, JJ." JJ twisted around to stare at her older sister, "What do you mean?" Jackie just shook her head. "I mean that living like this," she gestured around the room, "is so tiring, and exhausting, and it's pointless. We lock ourselves in our rooms when they fight. And we listen. We listen to them yell, and throw things, and curse at each other. And we lock ourselves up here and hope that Dad doesn't come bursting in here to hurt one of us. Don't you think it's pointless, J?"

JJ sat up, and her sister sat down next to her, just close enough to touch, but far enough that JJ wouldn't accidently brush her arm.

"Jackie, you have to stop."

Dark blue eyes met the sky-blue eyes of her sister. "Stop what? Stop the only way I can ignore that?" She pointed at the door. "Stop… I don't think I could, JJ. Not after all these years of fighting. I've told Mom to leave, but I think she knows that if she tries Dad would try to kill her, or something."

JJ stared at her sister, the bitter voice causing her to flinch. "I don't know, Jackie, I really don't."

Her sister shot up from the bed, the wave of emotions overwhelming her. "That's the point, JJ! It's never going to get better, until they stop that! It's never going to get better! If they keep yelling and screaming and throwing things, and they never talk about it, it's only going to get worse. And what about when I go to college, JJ? Who would protect you then?" Tears were dripping down her face, utter hopelessness consuming her.

JJ here noticed that her sister didn't seem like she was eleven years old, but much, much older. She also noticed that it went deathly quiet downstairs.

XxX

David Jareau heard his eldest daughter's outburst of pain and hopelessness. As unbelievable as it seemed, he did actually care about his eldest daughter. Maybe not so much the younger, but Jackie did have a place in his heart.

He paused, listening to her finish her spiel, and he dropped his head, slightly ashamed. He never really thought about how all this fighting would affect the other people in the house, but now he knew. He didn't know that it bother his daughters. He just thought that they were used to all the shouting. Then he looked at his wife, his sapphire eyes taking in her tire, disheveled appearance, and tense bearing.

Enough was enough.

He knew Jackie was about to hit her breaking point, if what he heard was anything to go by, and Jennifer was currently helpless to do anything, and Diane… well, Diane was too tired to go on like this. Maybe he would try and be a good father this time around; try to make up for the five years he stole from each member of this broken family.

He wasn't sure if he would succeed though. This anger he held, misplaced anger, admittedly, wasn't going to go away anytime soon, but perhaps he would get help, if the therapist knew how to keep his mouth shut. He knew how it went in East Allegheny. Any sign of gossip and the whole town leapt for it. He wondered how many times to Jareau family had been the topic of discussion. He wondered how much Jackie and JJ suffered for it.

He wasn't sure how he was going to make it up to them, especially JJ, but he was going to try his best.

Maybe buy some more wineglasses for Diane.

XxX

Diane Jareau watched her husband freeze as Jackie's distraught voice echoed throughout the house. The pain and despair her eleven-year old child's voice held, broke her heart, because she knew that she and her husband were causing this distress to their children.

She watched David gather his thoughts for a second, before the anger left his features, leaving him exhausted and defeated. He seemed to understand he kind of stress he had been throwing on the whole family, leaving her by herself, leaving JJ and Jackie to fend for themselves and find comfort with each other. She wasn't sure how well Jackie was doing lately though. She used to be such a outgoing cheerful child, but after the past few years, she had retreated into herself, talking only when addressed, faking smiles and laughter.

It had been difficult for the girls in the Jareau household. But watching David calm himself in the span of a minute, she thought perhaps things were going to get better for a while. But if she knew her husband, it wouldn't last, because the anger and hatred he held inside who burst forth soon enough, and she knew when that happened, someone would get seriously hurt.

Cautiously, she murmured, "David?"

He shook his head heavily, "I'm sorry, Diane."

Her lips twitched. It was definitely a start.

**A/N: I lied. It wasn't as dark. Things are looking up for JJ and Jackie now. Yes, I did skip a few years, because I didn't want to write more about how David Jareau throws wineglasses at his wife. Next chapter, we'll turn our attention back to Emily. I'm also skipping head to 1980 for her. She'll be in Romania, maybe. Or in Rome, and I can introduce Matthew and John, but I'm not sure how long her mother was stationed in Rome. Don't worry, Christopher Prentiss will suffer soooon! **

**Toodles, and review!**

**~S12**


	5. Haunted and Hopeless

**Journey On  
><strong>_Chapter Five: Haunted and Hopeless_

_Summary: The story of Emily and JJ, from the beginning.  
>Chapter Summary: Her father isn't helping at all, and she's reaching the end of her line. Her mother knows that she knows who Jessica Prentiss was. Emily Prentiss is sick of this. JJ and Emily are in dire danger, but niether of them know it.<br>__Warnings: Domestic abuse, torture.  
>Spoilers: Demonology, 4.17 and Risky Business, 5.13.<em>

XxX

Location: Bucharest, Romania  
>Date: August 7, 1980.<p>

It was hard hiding that many bruises from the prying eyes of her classmates.

Emily Prentiss stared at the window of the blackened windows of the car that was taking her to school. It was something that went along with being the ambassador's daughter. That included a security detail, something, in her eyes, that was totally pointless. A security detail couldn't protect from what happened at home, right? A security detail could only intervene if someone was going to get killed, not battered. There was a difference, her mother said. They could only step in if something happened, like what had happened to her sister.

She was tired, tired of traveling around, tired of learning different languages, tired of watching her father beat the crap out of mother and herself. She was sick of the unending circle her family found themselves in. She knew most instances of domestic abuse had a cycle. A cycle that included remorse, gifts, apologies, then the anger again. But, her father had never showed remorse. Never. She was only ten and she had realized what her father was.

She had read books from the library, from her house. She knew her father was ill on a whole different level. A sociopath.

"We're here."

She started, startled out of the thoughts. Nodding her dark head at the chauffeur, she murmured her thanks, before she stepped out into the sunlight, the light blinding her for a second. Tugging down her shirt sleeves lower, she walked slowly up the steps. The ominous doors seemed to seal her doom.

Swallowing hard, and doing her best to seal her feelings, she slipped into the school. Turning to the right, she walked down the long, dark corridor before entering her classroom, filled with young schoolchildren like herself. But the difference was that these children weren't as rich, as influential. This was why she hated coming to this school, because everyone would stare at and whisper about the Ambassador's daughter.

She was also afraid they would find out about her collection of bruises and cuts. If they knew, she would be subjected to taunts and teases, and that, she knew, she would not be able to withstand.

But, Emily Prentiss was not aware of the danger that lay ahead of her.

XxX

Location: Bucharest, Romania. The United States Embassy.  
>Date, Time: August 7, 1980. 1119 hours.<p>

"Ambassador?"

The aristocratic woman looked up from the piles of paperwork on her desk. She took in the straight bearing and uniform on the man standing in front of her. She nodded at him. "Yes?"

"Do you know where your daughter is, currently?"

She frowned, "She should be school right now. My security detail dropped her off. They usually stay, but today they requested…" She stared at the man. "What happened?"

The officer's lips tightened, "Well then, Ambassador, we have a situation. Security cameras in the school show that your daughter was abducted from her school at approximately 1030 hours this morning. Airport cameras from 1049 hours show that she has been taken onto a plane to the United States. We are currently handing over the case to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Behavioral Analysis Team. The BAU will try their best to bring your daughter back."

Even she hadn't been imagining that.

"Can't you stop the plane?" She had to stay calm. _A Prentiss. You are a Prentiss._

"It was a private jet, Ambassador."

XxX

Location: Unknown.  
>Date: Unknown.<p>

Disoriented, Emily Prentiss jerked back into reality. Her usually agile mind seemed to move sluggishly. But she knew what had happened. Her classroom had been plunged into darkness, and while the rest of the class screamed, someone had slapped a rag over her mouth and nose and she had passed out shortly after. And she had waken up here, in a cold, cold room, with gray concrete walls.

As she scanned the perimeters of the room, she noticed a shadow approximately fifteen feet away from her. Keen eyes came with her training from her mother.

"Hello, Emily."

Her voice didn't shake as she spat out a reply, "What do you want?" Her chocolate brown eyes were cold as they glared at the man standing in front of her.

His manic green eyes greedily looked her over, and he licked his lips before he replied. "I've waited so long to get to you, Emily. For years and years, after I heard about your sister's death, and you look just like your sister… just like her."

Her eyes widened. _He's mental!_

"Your sister was beautiful… just as you are. You're the best replacement for her… a replica for Jessica Prentiss. But, you are not my only victim. You see, I have one more girl I want, but she will be difficult to get. Her name may be unfamiliar to you, so I won't give you a name, but a picture."

She recognized the voice, but her mind refused to cooperate, her give her a name. Perhaps when she woke up next, she'd remember. She stared at the girl in the picture. Blonde hair of varying shade, sky blue eyes, but her shoulders seemed to sag, as if her was carrying the weight of the world.

"Who is she?"

The man chuckled, "Patience, little one, you'll be meeting her soon enough."

XxX

Location: Unknown.  
>Date and Time: Unknown.<p>

She had scratched marks into the wall for every three meals he gave her, to keep track of how long she'd been in this hellhole. 350 scratches. She had been in here for almost a year. She'd be eleven by now, and she still hadn't met the little blonde girl. The man, she knew his name, Jordan Jones. He had been her sister's ex, and he was obsessed with her. Her prison now included his pictures of his sister, and of the elusive blonde girl.

Listening to his footsteps, and as the door creaked open, she said quietly, "Will you at least tell me where I am?"

He smirked, his green eyes sadistic, "In Pennsylvania." He pulled out a knife, the sharp, gleaming edges taunting the thin, eleven year old brunette. "But today, I have a different treat for you." And without warning, he slashed the knife across the girl's face, causing blood to gush out. It wasn't fatal, but it wasn't superficial either.

It had been like this for the last 350 days, except that he'd beat her over and over again, to the point where she had almost died. He had let up for a few days, letting her recover. She didn't really need the reprieve; her father had done much worse over the years.

But this? No, this she wasn't accustomed to. Rolling over, and keeping her arms over her face, she felt the knife slash three more times, into her back, before she mercifully blacked out.

XxX

Location: East Allegheny, Pennsylvania.  
>Date: August 2, 1981.<p>

Jason Gideon stared apprehensively at the board. He and Agent Hotchner stayed here, in Pennsylvania to finished wrapping up the case, that was unsolved. It had been a year since Ambassador Prentiss' daughter had disappeared, and here, in East Allegheny, the trail went cold. They spent the last two weeks digging up every old, abandoned house they could find, but they didn't find Jordan Jones, their unsub. It seemed that he would get away with it, and they didn't even know if Emily Prentiss was still alive. At this point, 350 days later, the odds were at about zero that she was still alive.

Hotch's phone rang, startling Gideon out of his train of thought.

"Hotchner."

"That's impossible… the whole community is looking for Jones… Another…? Name? I'll pass the word along to Gideon. Thanks, Ryan."

Hotch turned back to Gideon. "It seems that Jones has taken another girl. The parents saw a man, matching Jones' description, talking to their daughter around noon, and ten minutes later, she was gone."

"It's been two hours," Gideon mused, "What took them so long to call?" Hotch grimaced, "The girl's father has a history of domestic abuse, and he was trying to uh, convince the mother not to call the police."

"What's her name?"

"Jennifer Jareau, age seven, was abducted from her home approximately two hours ago."

XxX

Location: Unknown.  
>Date and Time: Unknown.<p>

Jennifer Jareau was roughly shoved into the small dark room, catching a glimpse of the man who had taken her from her house. She stared at the other person. She was thin, too thin, and pale.

"What's your name?" Her blue eyes were watering with unshed tears, and the older girl pulled her into her embrace, her arms too thin, and every vein visible.

Her voice was soothing, JJ noticed. "My name's Emily, how about you?"

"Jennifer, JJ for short. How long have you been in here?"

Chocolate brown eyes dimmed even further, " 350 days, JJ. Hopefully, someone can get us out before you have to stay in here for that long." JJ took note of the girl's tattered clothes, and battered body, and multiple knife wounds.

"What did he do to you?" The blue eyes overfilled as they took in her body.

Thinking quickly, she pulled the girl back into her embrace, quieting her. "Listen, JJ. Look at me." Obediently, JJ looked into black-brown eyes. "I'll protect you from him, okay, JJ? No matter what happens I'll protect you. Just try to sleep, and save your energy, okay?" JJ nodded, smiling faintly.

That was a promise Emily Prentiss was determined to keep, no matter what the cost.

**A/N: Hey you guys. Sorry for the three day silence. I had to go out of town for music competitions, so I'm sorry. Hopefully, I didn't lose all of you. Question for you. Do you want young little JJ to get hurt, or should Emily take all of it for her?**

**Toodles, and review!  
>~S12<strong>


	6. Among Those Alive

**Journey On  
><strong>_Chapter Six: Among Those Alive_

_Summary: The story of Emily and JJ, from the beginning.  
>Chapter Summary: Emily and JJ are in grave danger and the BAU rushes to save them. In response to <strong>remedyofpain<strong>'s review (no offence taken, by the way. I appreciate your help!), this is taking place in alternate universe, so Hotch, Gideon and Rossi are older than in the series and I will elaborate on Jordan Jones. And because the rest of you are all crazy, your wishes will be granted. Emily-whumping it is!_

_I also have decided not to follow along with Risky Business, 5.13, because that would add unnecessary pain to both JJ and Emily._

Warnings: Rape, abuse, language.  
>Spoilers: None.<p>

XxX

730 marks.

She'd been in this hellhole for two years.

XxX

The primary BAU team had taken permanent residence in East Allegheny for the last year, waiting for tips and clues that would lead them to Jones.

Jordan Jones, their unsub.

He was thirty-seven years old, had two properties, one next to the Prentiss', the other next to the Jareau's. He had a lengthy record of peeping, flashing, inappropriate conduct, and only one stalking case. Now, if caught alive, would be arrested for two counts of kidnapping and unauthorized imprisonment. Jordan Jones was also delusional; he believed that Emily was actually her late sister. The agents thought that Jones believed that the late Jessica Prentiss had been in love with him, and from that he formed his delusion. When Jessica had been killed the delusion had been shattered, but he had rebuilt it, this time with Emily, who looked uncannily like her sister. However, they still hadn't determined why he took Jennifer Jareau, but that was a secret to be uncovered when he caught him.

They were positive both of them were still alive. He had sent a picture to the Allegheny paper. It made front page, and the Jareau's had to sit through all that. Hotch had offered them the chance to stay in the precinct, and they gladly accept. The older sister, Jackie, looked so much older than her age. The mother was upset, but the father looked almost… _gleeful._ Like he was happy that the youngest Jareau had the potential to never come home.

"Will we catch him?" David Rossi spoke. Gideon shook his head. "I don't think we'll catch him alive, Dave. He's delusional, and he has a history of mental illness. Attempted suicide. Depression. He'd probably kill himself before he'd let himself believe that the delusion has been broken again. And when he finally admits the delusion had shattered, he'd reach his end game. He'd take as many people with him as he could."

Max Ryan, who was sitting in the back, nodded. "We should split up, and one of us needs to go talk to Ambassador Prentiss, and while you're over there, check up on Jones' room. Agent Hotchner can and will handle Ambassador Prentiss." Hotch nodded his assent.

"Gideon, you can go back over Jones' house here, while I go talk to Jones' relatives."

"Rossi, you talk to the Jareau's. Go over everything that may have a connection to the Prentiss', _everything_. Understand all of you?" They all nodded. "Well, then, what are you waiting for?"

XxX

Location: Jordan Jones' house in Bucharest, Romania.  
>Date: August 7, 1982<p>

Hotch flashed his credentials at the security guards standing outside Jones' home. Ambassador Prentiss was waiting for him in the next room. She constantly looked haunted and guilty. The bags under her eyes were darker than ever and her shoulders were slumped.

"What's wrong, Ambassador?"

Her gaunt woman looked up from her post on the chair. "I promised Emily's sister that no matter what, I would protect her. And I tried, I tried so hard, but when she needed me, I wasn't there."

Hotch sat down across from her. "Protect her from whom?"

"Her father."

His eyes narrowed. "Did Christopher Prentiss kill your daughter?"

She nodded, "Our daughter. He killed her when he was really drunk. He was actually trying to kill Emily, because she was crying, of all things."

"Where is he now? He may have assisted in your daughter's kidnapping."

_Jessica Prentiss nodded. "I protected her Mother, now it's your turn."_

Hotch looked around the room where the Ambassador was currently residing in. Neat, clean, orderly, picture perfect, and a complete lie, Hotch knew. He had been with the Ambassador's security detail. He knew the things that had gone on in their home. He had known Emily Prentiss as a child, and he had also known Jessica Prentiss as a child. He just hadn't known that Christopher had taken his own child's life.

"Christopher is currently in Australia, serving at the Embassy for the Middle East."

Hotch narrowed his eyes, thoughtfully. "Can anyone confirm that, Ambassador?"

XxX

Location: Unknown.  
>Date: Unknown.<p>

Emily Prentiss' eyes were dull, lifeless. She stared sightlessly at the door, just waiting for the door to open. She looked down, smiling softly. JJ was still sleeping, curled up into her side, seeking warmth. She had been taking all the hits for JJ, taking the knife torture, the burning, the acid, the bruises, all for JJ, just so the little girl wouldn't have to suffer through what she'd been through. The little girl was her world now. She had to protect her, no matter what.

_Bang._

The door slammed open, startling JJ out of her sleep, making her whimper and curl up even tighter into a ball. Jordan stalked over to them, pulling JJ harshly away from the older girl, chaining her to the pipe. She knew the drill. He'd chain them to different pipes and he'd beat the crap out of her, making the younger blonde watch. It was psychological torture.

As the beating began, she withdrew into her mind, remembering the few good times she had in her life.

_"Have any good stories to tell, JJ?"_

_JJ nodded slightly. "There was one time, outside, my sister and I were outside watching a meteor shower in front of a campfire. We were lying on your backs and then all of the sudden there was a sudden wind and the fire went out. We were so scared, we thought someone was going to sneak out a kill us, or something like that. So we ran into our tent, and hid under the covers and ate our s'mores there. So in the morning, we go out and check out the campfire, and we saw this adorable little raccoon eating our food. We ended up laughing so hard, we cried."_

_JJ smiled nostalgically. "How about you, Em?"_

_Emily just shook her head, "No good stories for me. My home life was circled around my father and his beatings."_

_JJ gasped, "Is that why you're taking all the beatings for me?" Emily nodded. "I can take it, so I will." She brushed her too-thin hand down the younger girl's arm. "I don't want you know what kind of pain goes along with that. It's something you don't want to experience, J."_

_JJ nodded._

The shredding of clothes brought her back to reality. That, and the feeling of his hands roaming her body, touching places where he wasn't allowed.

Her eyes widened. "Please, no… stop… please…" She faintly heard JJ's chains rattling, and she choked out, "Don't make her watch, please, don't make her watch."

She shot a look at JJ, who understood and closed her eyes.

JJ couldn't watch even if she wanted to. But even with her eyes closed, it didn't block out the sound of Emily's cries and pleas for him to stop, or his grunts of satisfaction and pleasure. It didn't block out the unbelievably thick fear radiating off Emily, or the sadistic pleasure Jones' got from it.

When Jones uncuffed her from her pipe and left, she crawled over to Emily, who was curled into a ball, silently sobbing. She was naked, so JJ pulled a blanket over her exposed body, and ran a hand through the unkempt black hair. Jones had let them shower at least once a month, so they didn't smell too badly, and their hair was still free from lice. Emily started shivering, and JJ curled up beside her, offering her own body heat, and Emily turned over and buried her dark head into JJ's neck.

She was dangerously close to reaching her breaking point.

She didn't want the memory of his hands all over her body, or the memory of him inside her. She didn't want the memory of the noises both he and she made. She didn't want to remember JJ's chains rattling as the girl fought to be freed from her chains. She hid, deep in her mind, where no one could reach her. She let the darkness consume her, but JJ. JJ was still there. JJ was her lifeline. She would survive for no one, but only for the little. The little girl that become the center of her universe. She would survive for Jennifer Jareau.

XxX

Location: East Allegheny, Police Precinct.  
>Date: August 8, 1982. 1900 hours.<p>

"We've got a lead." Both dark heads of Aaron Hotchner and David Rossi shot up, their bloodshot eyes finding him in a second.

"So what, Ryan? Can't keep us in the dark forever."

Ryan shook his head at the somewhat arrogant profiler, Rossi. "An anonymous tip came in through the tip line three minutes ago. He gave us an address. 1804 Corrine Drive. It's about five minutes away."

Hotch frowned, "Do you think the Jones called it in?"

Agent Ryan nodded, "Yes, I do think so."

"Then how do we know it's not a trap?"

Hotch grimaced, "We don't."

XxX

"No, you son of a bitch, don't touch her! Don't you dare touch her!" She threw herself against the chains, growling, snarling, screaming at him to stop.

**A/N: And that's where I'm leaving it.**

**Don'tcha looooove cliffhangers. I'm pulling ideas from my reviews, so _crazyobsession101_ I liked your idea, so I'm using it. Thank you all for all the ideas and reviews, and _JayJe_, I totally agree with you.**

**So, again, thanks to everyone for reviewing, especially the regulars! Next chapter be up soon. Did anybody notice problems with uploading? Or was it just me?**

**Toodles!  
>~S12<strong>


	7. Into the Nothing

**Journey On  
><strong>_Chapter Seven: Into the Nothing_

_Summary: The story of Emily and JJ, from the beginning.  
>Chapter Summary: Emily's never going to truly forgive herself for this.<br>Warnings: Rape, abuse.  
>Spoilers: None.<em>

XxX

"_No, you son of a bitch, don't touch her! Don't you dare touch her!" She threw herself against the chains, growling, snarling, screaming at him to stop. _

She thrashed around in her chains, pleading with Jones, begging for him to stop. She lunged at him, but the chains stop her. Her eyes, for once, were wild, murderous, and she seemed to have lost the numbness that had surrounded her. She pulled frantically, the rattling on the chains filling the air, and the other girl's pleas for him to stop. She only took hope in that Jones was still fully clothed. She heaved against her restraints, not meeting the sad eyes of the younger girl. Eyes that were begging her to just let it happen. Eyes that were oozing defeat. She snarled, writhing against the things binding her. Jones looked up, desire glinting in his eyes, before he heaved himself off the younger girl and stalked over to her. Then, he delivered a solid blow to the side of her head, before he turned back to Jennifer Jareau.

She stopped, momentarily, the punch only making her angrier. She threw her body weight against the cuffs, mentally begging them to break. Her vision had narrowed to Jones and the girl. She was seeing red, and she released a primal, raw scream of frustration. Jones narrowed his green eyes at her. Emily spat at him, her fury had peaked and she was dangerous close to ripping herself from her chains and beating him with them.

She stilled, noticing that his hands had stopped roaming the body of the younger blonde, and unlocked her, before he came over to her. She knew what was coming, the pain, the disgust. He suddenly, and violently, ripped away the blanket covering her body, before he continued what he had started with JJ. She remained quiet the whole time, not letting the sadist see how much pain she was in. The thumping of the shoulders against the cold concrete gave her a new collection of bruises, but she didn't care. She just needed to know that JJ was okay.

Time blurred, and she collapsed. Jones had unlocked her, and her legs no longer could support her. JJ instinctively crawled slowly over to Emily, her whole body shivering from the disgust of Jones' hands touching her. Tears dripped from the blue eyes, and she laid down carefully next to Emily. Emily, who had done her best to protect her from Jones, Emily who had taken almost every beating for her. And JJ knew that Emily would never forgive herself for this. She flinched, and then relaxed, as she felt Emily's arms encircle her. She felt tears dampening her neck, before she heard the broken whisper.

"I tried, JJ, I tried so hard."

She shook her head, her disheveled blonde hair swinging slightly, "Shush, Em. I know you tried your best to…" Her voice cracked here, the pain overtaking her body, "But I'm okay." Emily snorted softly, before JJ turned over and snuggled into the warmth that was Emily. A gaunt hand caressed the side of her face. "I know better than that J, but if you want to insist, then fine. Just know I'm going to protect you."

"I know you will."

XxX

Location: Jones' secondary location, outside of East Allegheny.  
>Date: August 8, 1982. 2000 hours.<p>

"FBI!"

The BAU and local police burst into the room, guns drawn and flashlights on. There were seven shouts of 'clear!', before they determined that Jones wasn't here.

"Search the grounds!"

XxX

Jones sat next to the girls. There was a gun pointed at JJ's head, and Jones hissed, "A word and there will be a bullet in her head faster than you can blink." Emily nodded, the skin around her eyes tight. JJ was just shaking, from fear, and Emily longed to reach out and comfort her. They heard the police clomp around overhead, and Emily wanted so bad to shout out, but she couldn't at risk of endangering JJ. Something she would not allow to happen.

JJ was crying now and Emily knew why. Their saviors were here, but they wouldn't be able to find them. They were this close to freedom, and Jones had robbed them of it. She cursed him mentally, her black glare settling on his head. If looks could kill, Jones would be dead, a thousand times over. She reached over and rubbed JJ's back comfortingly, quieting the blonde's soft cries. She gave her small smile, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

She heard the faint cries of 'clear' and the footsteps over the hidden bunker. And then…

XxX

"Ryan, I got something!" Hotch shouted over the noise the other agents were making. He gestured with his gun towards the slight square raise in the floor, covering by a thin rug. Max Ryan hurried over, closely followed by Rossi. There was also the new guy from ATF, Derek Morgan, who followed with his gun drawn.

Pulling the rug away, Hotch stared at the small trapdoor leading down to the basement. He had the technical analyst pull blueprints, and they knew there was a basement, but the door wasn't on the blue prints. He'd found it, and he could almost taste victory. Two years on this case, along with the others, had taken a toll on his patience and nerves, and now there were so close…

Kicking the door open, with a quick stomp, he went down the stairs, finding the blue eyes of Jennifer Jareau. They were wide, scared and close to hysterical. He saw the manic, deranged green eyes of their captor second, fury and rage glinting in his eyes, and the black, dull, empty eyes of Emily Prentiss.

"Drop the gun!"

The man laughed. "Two years, Agent Ryan, Agent Hotchner, Agent Rossi, Agent Gideon. Two years, you knew my name. For two years, you tore the town apart, trying to find me. For two years, you waited here in East Allegheny. I was surprised you stayed this long. Look," he gestured behind him, towards the marks in the wall, "little Emily here kept track. So what took you so long?"

"I said, _drop the gun!_"

Jones shook his head. "I've wasted a lot of time on these two girls. But, I'll give them to you as long as you let me walk out of this house, and I swear you'll never hear of me again."

Max Ryan sneered at the man, "You're insane. Two years we spent here, and you think we'll let you walk free?"

"Indeed, Agent Ryan," Jones agreed, "because you had two years to stop this." Reaching over with his free hand, he ripped Emily's blanket from her shoulders, revealing the bruises and cuts.

He heard Morgan swear behind him. "Drop the gun, you son of a bitch."

He saw Jones finger tighten on the trigger, and heard a shout of _No!_, before he fired off two shots, the bullets embedding themselves into Jones' shoulder and chest.

Hotch stared, the cloud of smoke diffusing into the air, and he saw blood. Some of it was Jones blood, but there was a blood splatter behind Emily. And said girl was currently on the ground, rolling in pain, and clutching her shoulder. Shouting for a medic, he rushed over to her side, next to Jennifer. He asked Jennifer, "Are you okay?"

Tightly, she replied, "Just make sure Em's okay first."

As he applied pressure to the shoulder wound on Emily, he felt the body beneath his hands go limp, and heard Jennifer's distressed cries. He felt for a pulse. There was one, albeit faint, and he knew that if the girl didn't get help soon, she might not make it.

As the medic filed in, one pulled Jennifer gently away, but the girl thrashed in his arms. "No!" She shook her head, fighting wildly, "I need to stay with Emily! No!" Hotch stared at her, his hawk eyes curious. One of the last thoughts in his mind before the Prentiss child was taken away on a gurney was a bit morbid, but true.

If Emily Prentiss survived this, she would have to get through a lot, physically and mentally, to recover.

**A/N: It was a bit harder to write this. I rewrote it a fair few times, because I was never really satisfied, and I wasn't sure if I should've let the BAU never find Jones in his basement/hellhole. But anyways, I let them find them. And I probably will try my best to get through the next chapter by tomorrow, but no guarantees! So review!**

**Toodles!  
>~S12<strong>


	8. Unknown Soldier

**Journey On  
><strong>_Chapter Eight: Unknown Soldier_

_Story Summary: The story of Emily and JJ, from the beginning.  
>Chapter Summary: JJ's worried about her friend. Emily' struggling in the OR table and Ambassador Prentiss has yet to be notified. The Jareaus' are coping, and Christopher Prentiss is delighted… in one of the most malicious ways possible.<br>Warnings: Domestic abuse, rape, abuse.  
>Spoilers: None.<em>

_A/N: Sorry delays! I was caught up in reading __**1821**__'s stuff for SVU and it was really addicting. Sorry. And also I got caught up in school. So bleh. Enjoy! No happy endings anytime soon, so hang in there._

XxX

The blonde thrashed in her restraints. "Emily," she whimpered, "I need to see Emily." She writhed around, making it impossible for the medics to examine her. The medic shook her head. "Sedate her," she whispered to her assistant. The younger woman nodded, withdrawing a syringe filled with a clear liquid, before approaching the girl.

Seeing the syringe, the girl's eyes dilated, and she flailed around, now desperate to get out of her restraints. The medic grabbed an arm to hold it still before plunging the needle into the arms and depressing the plunge. The girl's fight slowly faded, until she was still. Even in a drug-induced sleep, she still murmured, whimpered, over and over for the same person.

"Emily? Where's Emily?"

The said Emily was currently being wheeled off into the OR. She had flat-lined twice during the ambulance ride, and now she was slipping away again. "Come on," the nurses encouraged. "Stay with us."

Emily had been thrown into limbo, her life flashing in front of her closed eyes. She saw her sister, the oldest, late, Prentiss. She did look a bit like her. She saw countless others she had seen and met in her travels with her mother. Then, a flash of black, and Emily craned her neck. Eyes, just like her own, met her, and she saw the face of her sister, Jessica Prentiss.

She reached out, her fingertips lightly brushing the pale face. "Am I dead?" she murmured.

"Only if you want to be." The low melodic voice of

Then something else flashed, a picture of JJ, thrashing around, and she knew she couldn't stay. "Will I ever see you again?"

A slow grin poked at the lips of her sister, "When your time comes, sis."

The world faded from around her.

XxX

"Ambassador Prentiss?" The gaunt, weary face of Elizabeth Prentiss looked up, her hazel eyes dull. "Yes?"

"We got her."

Her eyes widened, tears glimmering suspiciously. "Emily…?"

Aaron Hotchner treated her with a rare smile. He nodded, relieved to have finally told the woman good news instead of bad, for once.

"We're supposed to fly out in about thirty minutes to the States, so if you could please…"

"Of course, of course," the Ambassador fled the room.

Hotch scratched the back of his head. Eh… that went well.

XxX

The nurse was just finishing checking on the patient and was turning away before an impossibly strong grip latched onto her wrist. She whirled around and saw burning brown eyes. She grinned, "Hey, welcome back."

The girl didn't smile. "Where's Jennifer?"

She was confused. "Who's Jennifer, honey?" Brown eyes narrowed, "Do not call me honey. _Where is she?_" This demand was followed by a sharp gasp of pain, the painkillers not strong enough to block out all of the girl's pain. The nurse hurried over, checking that she didn't accidentally rip out any stitches, and she noticed something odd. The girl's eyes were unfocused, like she wasn't in the present anymore. When the girl spoke again, her voice was low, and slightly dangerous. "Don't touch her."

The nurse edged nearer, going to attempt to shake her out of her flashback. "Damn it, I said _don't touch her_ you son of a bitch!" She flailed around, angry, and panicking. Suddenly, a blonde dashed into the room, wincing and limping as she did so, but she grabbed hold of the flailing brunette's hand. "Emily, I'm right here."

"Jennifer?" The brunette's voice was hoarse and her eyes refocused. The blonde, Jennifer, nodded, and buried her face in Emily's neck. The nurse just stood by, watching, looking on. She felt awkward, intruding on such a personal moment, but she was supposed to be here when the patient, especially a fragile one, had visitors. Suddenly, the elder girl hissed, her entire body tensing with pain, and the blonde leapt off the bed, profusely apologizing.

She hurried over, checking over the patient, but she seemed fine, just sore. "Are you okay, Miss Prentiss?"

The girl answered through clenched teeth, "I'm fine." The nurse shook her head, her eyes widening when she saw the sheets, "You're bleeding, Miss." She glanced at the blonde, silently asking her to leave. The blonde looked slightly put out, but she left silently, squeezing the brunette's hand once more.

XxX

Max Ryan stood outside the door, conversing quietly with Gideon. "Do you think they'll be able to leave each other like that?" Gideon shook his head, murmuring back, "At this point? No. For the last year all they had was each other, and I don't think they're going to let go."

Rossi pitched in here, "Ambassador Prentiss probably won't let Emily stay here, and the Jareau's probably won't let JJ go with her."

"That reminded me," Gideon noted, "We need to get Jessica and JJ out of the house. Domestic abuse, you know." Nods from all sides followed the statement.

Hotch, hidden away in the shadows, nodded slightly at the very, very ridge woman standing behind, motioning her to enter her daughter's temporary room. Both senior agents moved back to let the woman pass. But as she tried, Jennifer left the room, tears running down her pale face. Hotch moved over, the gently grasp the girl's arm, knowing that it could trigger a flashback if he wasn't careful. "What happened, JJ?"

"She ripped out her stitches when she remembered." Hotch frowned at the last part. "Did she have a flashback, Jennifer?"

She nodded, looking slightly scared.

Ambassador Prentiss let her mask slip for a second, revealing how scared she was. "Will she be okay?" she asked the nurse who was just coming out. The nurse nodded, murmuring to her about she needed new stitches. Elizabeth Prentiss just nodded, her eyes watering.

XxX

Jessica Prentiss smiled slightly. After two years, they managed to save her little sister. It had taken longer than she thought, but at long last, she was back.

She had finally sent her sister the person she had promised a long ten years ago. Someone would properly take care and love her younger sister. Someone Emily could lean on and tell her secrets to. Someone she could trust and relate to.

She had sent Jennifer Jareau.


	9. Toxic

**Journey On  
><strong>_Chapter Nine: Toxic_

_Story Summary: The story of JJ and Emily, from the beginning.  
>Chapter Summary: Nothing too special this time, more hospital scenes, and unexpected things happen to JJ, not her, but her family. JJ's spent her birthday in hospital sitting next to Emily's bedside.<br>Spoilers: Cold Comfort, 4.14, Risky Business, 5.13, and Lauren, 6.18.  
>Warnings: Mentions of attempt suicide.<em>

_A/N: I just realized I didn't put dates or locations on my chapter last time. All mistakes are mine. And next chapter will be Emily and her steadily building walls. Emily and JJ separation, my friends. Not going to be a fun chapter. To write especially, so don't expect for at least a day or two._

XxX

_Location: Unknown.  
>Date: August 15, 1982. Time: UNKNOWN.<em>

_Darkness._

_She was surrounded by darkness. It was cold, and there was his hauntingly chilling voice. Jones. It was Jones. Why was he here? Where was Jennifer?_

_Jennifer. Where's Jennifer?_

_There was a glint of silver, and she flinched and there was red. Dripping blood, from her fingertips. Dripping down her arm. There was another flash of silver and she cried out in pain. _

"_Emily?"_

"_No… stop it." she fought weakly. "Make it stop."_

"_Emily."_

"_Go away," she hissed, fighting harder, finding herself unrestrained. "Don't hurt me."_

"Emily!"

She jerked violently, ripping out her IV line and falling off the bed. Crawling rapidly backwards, her typically calm, brown eyes wild, she snarled, "Get back!" Still trapped in the confines of her mind, she covered her face with her arms.

_Jones appeared in front of her, brandishing his long, serrated blade. There was Jennifer, bound and bloodied. He hurt her. She watched as he slowly drew the knife across the pale skin, and a rage-filled scream tore itself from her throat._

"Jennifer!"

She had crawled into the corner, her eyes still wild and unfocused. The doctor and the nurses didn't really know what to do.

_Jumping at him, she tackled him, aiming for the knees and making him drop the knife. He didn't quite fall, and he lashed out with his feet and fists. She felt one of her ribs crack, and the pain that came along with it. He drove his fist into her chest, knocking the air out of her and making her gasp with pain._

"_Emily! Wake up!" _

_She was awake! She was still trapped in this goddamn hellhole! They still hadn't found her._

"_Emily, please, please, wake up. It's JJ, I'm right here." She blinked, seeing the face of the youngest Jareau. She brushed her hand across the face, startling slightly when she felt a breath against her fingertips._

"_That's it, Em. Just open your eyes for me." She still blinked, her eyes were open right? But when she blinked, JJ wavered, her form almost disappearing._

"**NO! **Don't leave me…" Emily's voice broke off, "Don't leave me again! Don't leave me alone!"

JJ's young heart broke, seeing her friend crack like this. Grabbing hold of Emily's hand and brushing the strands of dark hair away from her eyes with the other, she whispered, "Come on, Em. I'm right here. Open your eyes."

When she looked up next, she found a pair of very dark eyes staring into her own blue ones. Pulling the older girl into a light embrace, she was careful not to aggravate the wounds littered across her friend's body. However, she noticed a bloodstain.

She'd pulled her stitches out again. Third time this week. Calling the doctors back to lift the nearly catatonic twelve year old back into the hospital bed. She left quietly, squeezing the pale hand gently.

It had been a hell of a long week since the BAU found them.

XxX

Elizabeth Prentiss had witnessed the whole scene. For the time being, she wasn't the Ambassador. She was just a worried mother at this point. The thing was she wasn't sure if Emily would accept her help. For years she had let Emily take the abuse, hiding like a coward she was, instead of standing up to her husband. She had broken her promise to Jess, and for that she hated herself. She knew she should've, but she had a reputation… or what was left of a reputation to uphold. And she knew it was selfish. She should've put her tattered family first, not her work.

"Fancy seeing you here, Elizabeth."

Whirling around, she meet the cold eyes of her husband. "Good day to you too, Christopher." He hadn't changed. Killing their daughter had just made him more arrogant, more cocky, more of all his worst qualities. He didn't feel bad that he'd killed their daughter. He didn't feel ashamed that he had beat the life out of their daughter for the past eight years, minus the two years Emily had disappeared. He didn't care that he was the one that tore their already dysfunctional family apart. He didn't feel, she thought, he wasn't normal. He wasn't human. He was a monster, a predator.

"Bitch got what she deserved, eh, Elizabeth?" He stood next the stood, observing the scene inside the room, the dark brunette cowering in a corner, with the blonde trying her very best to bring the girl back into the present.

Shaking her dark head unbelievably, "_Bitch got what she deserved?_ Is that the only thing you can say about _your __**daughter**_ who just threw her whole life on the line to protect that little girl, and she came out successful?"

"Pity," Christopher Prentiss sneered. "The world would've been much better off without."

She turned fully to face him, and with all her might, she slapped him, throwing him off balance. "You son of a bitch, that's your _daughter_ in there, and even then you treat her like a piece of shit! I'll tell you something, Christopher," she grabbed the collar of his impeccably ironed dress shirt, "you will not come anywhere near myself and Emily ever again." Her hazel eyes narrowed dangerously, her maternal instincts rising to the surface. "If you do, I swear I will order my detail to kill you on sight. Do you understand me?"

Laughing outright at his wife's anger, Christopher mocked, "You think you scare me, _Liz_? I'll make you understand something yourself." Slamming her against the deserted hospital wall, he spat, "Do not ever threaten me again, bitch." As he pushed back, in the nick of time too, the Ambassador's detail piled into the room, keeping an eye on the volatile Prentiss patriarch.

"Fuck you," she hissed quietly.

XxX

Jackie Jareau sat on the edge of the sink in the bathroom, eyeing the paper roll edge. It was sharp, jagged, something she needed. Her life had become a personal hell in the year her younger sister had disappeared. Her father had concentrated on her now, even if she were his favorite. And for the first time, she noticed that he got off on her pain. The look in his eyes… it was haunting. And she would never forget how it felt. The pain, the feeling that he just wouldn't stop, and the fear that he just might, might kill her.

Ripping the sleeve of her black jacket up, she revealed the rows and rows of cuts mauling her arms, before she leveled her arm right underneath the jagged edge. And in the bright fluorescent lights of the sterile bathroom, the heart necklace she was wearing glinted, and blood pooled in the floor, right before the owner of the blood collapsed next to it.

"_Jackie!"_

**A/N: Sorry for delays, my loves. School and finals and competitions do not mix well together to allow time to write. Updates will be sporadic, but I'll try my best to work on it. I have another one-shot on my computer, but it's not quite finished yet. Review!**

**Toodles!  
>~S12<strong>


	10. Dance With the Devil

**Journey On**_  
>Chapter Ten: Dance With the Devil<em>

_Story Summary: The story of Emily and JJ, from the very beginning.  
>Chapter Summary: The Jareau's are in very deep trouble, David especially. The Prentiss' are still fighting, and Emily's has to be hospitalized if she keeps panicking and ripping out her stitches.<br>Warnings: Domestic abuse, mentions of attempted suicide, mentions of rape, blah blah… all previous warnings are the same.  
>Spoilers: Demonology, 4.17 and Risky Business, 5.13.<em>

_A/N: Jackie's in serious trouble, and Emily's going to be moved, and this is not going to be a happy chapter so brace yourselves. Not a fun chapter._

XxX

Location: Rome, Italy.  
>Date: September 1, 1982. 0900 hours.<p>

Emily Prentiss remained silent, staring straight ahead, her face stoic. Only if one tried, you would notice tears glimmering in her eyes. Her posture was perfect, if rigid. The Ambassador had not let her say goodbye, only quietly signed the discharge paperwork and left. Emily had fought her, both mentally and physically. Snarling, growling, shouting, nothing worked. She had been sedated.

Emily had written a note, she had been prepared for something like this. She slid it out from under her pillow and left in on it, before she had been sedated. And now, half a day later, she was in Rome, about to enter her newest school. She knew she would be stared at, after all, she and… JJ were kidnapped for the better part of a year, but she had been kidnapped for two. She had seen the newspapers, read the articles, remembered the things Jones had done.

Her mother was walking into the school, two boys following her out.

"Emily, meet Matthew Benton and John Cooley, they'll show you around the school, and around Rome if you so wish."

She nodded, not really caring. Her thoughts were still surrounding the little blonde girl she had left back in the States. She didn't care if her father continued beating her to hell and back, she would live, if only to see that girl again. Snapping back to the present, she politely nodded at the two older boys. Matthew was fourteen, John was sixteen as she found out later, walking into the school. It had a bit of a prison feel to it, and she had a very unpleasant feeling that some unpleasant memories would be triggered.

XxX

Location: East Allegheny, Pennsylvania.  
>Date: August 31, 1982. 2100 hours.<p>

She had been openly crying for the last four hours. She had gone to check on Emily after she made sure that Jackie would've been okay after her… what was the word? Sui… suicide? Suicide attempt. She knew it had been coming, she'd seen her sister's arms, her forever haunted eyes. She thought it was her fault. If she'd still been around, then daddy wouldn't have hurt her as much. Jackie had always been fragile. Back to the point…

So she'd gone to check on Emily, but she found the nurses cleaning up, and one of the nurses had asked her if her name was JJ. She had nodded, and accepted the letter, and had asked what was going on. She had been told what had happened.

"Ambassador Prentiss personally requested discharge papers." The nurse caught sight of JJ's quivering lower lip. "JJ, Emily didn't want to leave, but the Ambassador insisted. Don't blame Emily for it, okay, JJ? Maybe she explains herself in the letter."

JJ stared at the folded sheet of paper in her hands, finally taking note of the still perfect handwriting. She sniffed quietly, and the nurse took her the bathroom to get some privacy.

She opened the letter, and she read slowly, careful not to miss anything.

_Dear JJ._

_You've been my best friend for the last year, even under those circumstances. I thank you for you friendship and company, mandatory or not. You were my light, my angel, my driving force. Without you, I think, I would've given up. I am determined to see you again, hopefully under better circumstances._

_I understand J, that you are under a lot of pressure right now, with your sister hospitalized too, and your father… well, being your father. I know you are strong enough to take it JJ. I know you can. So be strong, if not for yourself, for me, because I can't bear to even imagine you hurting. So take my advice J. When the nightmares come, remember there are better things, happier things in life than where you are right now. And when you are surrounded by darkness, know that the light is at the end of the tunnel and that you will get there. There's a quote I want you to know, I think it's something like this…_

"_When things are bad, we take comfort in the thought that they could always be worse. And when they are, we find hope in the thought that things are so bad they have to get better.__"_

_Make something good of yourself J. Be strong, proud, and confident. Don't get stuck in that little town of yours. (Let's face it, it is a small town.) Don't let your home life get you down. Wear your game face, don't let people see you hurt because they'll take advantage of it. But if you ever need to vent, send me a letter. Next to you, or a hundred thousand miles away, I'll be there for you._

_Jennifer Jareau, you are one of a kind. I thank you for your compassion, quiet strength and especially your love. I'll miss you, and I will see you again._

_Love,  
>Em.<em>

_ps. All future letters should be sent to Rome, Italy, to Emily Prentiss in the US Embassy. I'll get it. _

Here, Jennifer broke down, her cries echoing softly in the empty bathroom. Tears made soft plops on the tiles of the floor as JJ tried to reign in her emotions and put on her game face, as Emily had put it. She harshly wiped away her falling tears.

"I'll do it," she whispered, hoping like crazy that wherever Emily was, she heard it. Slipping quietly, she padded quietly to her sister's room, making sure that Jackie's heart monitor was still bleeping. It was something she had to hear and to see to reassure herself that her sister was still here. That her sister wasn't in a coffin curried six feet under somewhere.

She retreated back into the waiting room, where her parents were waiting to take her home. But they were talking to the social services people, she thought, so did that mean she wasn't going home? Or were they going to arrest her daddy?

"David Jareau, you are under arrest for multiple counts of domestic abuse and sexual abuse. You have the right to remain silent…"

Yes, her dad was going back to jail, for good. The three strikes thing she overheard Agent Hotchner and Agent Rossi talking about. But sexual abuse? He was molesting, raping, Jackie? Because if he was… her blood boiled to even consider it.

He was going to pay.

**A/N: Sorry for the shorter chapter, I've been as busy as crap. Thanks to **_mindspsychoaddict _**and **_xGoldenThroatSharpayx _**for reviewing! I appreciate the feedback! Next chapter skips ahead three years. Emily will be fifteen and JJ eleven. (dundundundun…) So, review and enjoy! Not necessarily in that order though…**

**Toodles!  
>~S12<strong>


	11. Never Alone

**Journey On **  
><em>Chapter Eleven: Never Alone<em>

_Summary: The story of Emily and JJ, from the very beginning._  
><em>Chapter Summary: Emily's fifteen, JJ eleven. Need I say more?<em>  
><em>Disclaimer: (I have been forgetting to post this.) I don't own Criminal Minds nor anything remotely related to it. (Hey, who heard SB is cancelling?) –cheers- (No offense to anyone who liked it.)<em>  
><em>Warnings: Abortion, suicide and language. And mentions of sex, though nothing graphic.<em>  
><em>Spoilers: Heavy spoilers for Birthright, 3.11, Demonology, 4.17 and Risky Business, 5.13.<em>

_A/N: So, thank you for the reviews and feedback! I was beginning to think you all dropped off the face of the Earth or something. So, this chapter was a bitch to write, pardon my language, so all mistakes are mine and I apologize for the delay. Enjoy! Next chapter however, will skip to Emily's entrance to college and JJ's first year in high school. Four years difference right? I will address the insecurity issues in both JJ and Emily. Will have slight mentions of Matthew's drug problem._

XxX

**Location: Rome, Italy****  
><strong>**Date: September 19, 1985. 2300 hours.**

Laughing, she ran as she was being tugged along by John, arousal and alcohol racing through her veins. And he whirled her around, and kissed her, pressing her up the hard, brick wall of the alleyway they currently were in. Trapped in a heated make-out session, she didn't notice Matthew walk quietly into the same alleyway. John pulled away first, noticing the silent boy in the background. Both were panting lightly.

"Cockblock," she murmured teasingly to Matthew. Her usually pristine black hair was mussed and her lips were swollen. He raised an eyebrow, shooting a skeptical look at John, before he said, "Take care of her, John, or I'm coming after you."

Emily lunged at Matthew, embracing him tightly. "Thank you," she whispered into his ear, tears stinging her eyes. Turning back to John, she accepted the hand he had held out to her, leading her up the steps to his little flat. She waved at Matthew, who was staring at her morosely, a curious expression lighting up his features, but she gave little consideration to the thought after hands started peeling away clothes and naked skin met naked skin.

"Kiss me," she murmured, and he obliged. Even if the circumstances weren't what she'd prefer, and she had a random flashback every few minutes, the sex was still good, regardless.

She just wouldn't know the consequences of her actions until a few months later.

**Location: East Allegheny, Pennsylvania.****  
><strong>**Date: November 12, 1985. 0800 hours.**

"JJ?"

Glancing up from the well-worn note she held in her hand, Jennifer Jareau looked up at the sad blue eyes of her older sister. Scooting over on the bed, JJ asked, "What's up, Jackie?" She knew something was wrong, but she wasn't quite sure what. It was as if her sister was holding on to a secret, something so terrible she would never say, but it seemed like the weight had fallen off her shoulders at the same time too. It was odd.

"There's something I want to give you."

JJ nodded, motioning her sister in her room. She took note of the multiple bruises and cuts decorating her sister's arms, the first time in over five years she had worn a t-shirt. However, that thought was cut short as Jackie handed over a small jewelry box. JJ knew what it was. It was the necklace that her sister loved dearly, the small golden heart their father had given her a year before JJ's birth. Her sister had told her the story many times, trying to relive the times when things were happier and not so dark.

"Jackie, I can't take it. I know you love it." JJ knew it was true, even if she really, really wanted to accept. She always wanted one like that for herself, but her daddy hated her and never gave her a gift. Jackie shook her head, "I want you to have it, okay?

JJ nodded, as Jackie continued, grasping both her small hands. "Listen to me, JJ. I'll always love you, no matter what happens. Even if daddy going all insane on you, or if he beats me because you pissed him off, remember that I love you no matter what. And be strong, JJ, if not for anything or anyone, for me."

JJ hugged her sister, the mini-monologue bringing tears to her eyes. "I love you too, Jackie." She frowned unexpectedly, "Why, though?"

Jackie gave her a sad smile, "You'll see soon enough, JJ, soon enough."

With those mysterious words she left JJ with, that was the last time JJ ever saw her older sister alive.

**Location: Rome, Italy****  
><strong>**Date: November 12, 1985 2100 hours.**

"I've found someone who would do it for you, Em."

Flinching slightly at the sudden noise, Emily looked up into the light hazel eyes of Matthew Benton. "You did?" He nodded, his eyes deadly serious. Her eyes were dead, emotionless and her features carefully schooled into a blank mask. It was the infamous Prentiss mask that he had heard so much about.

"When?" Her voice was hoarse, after yelling at John, who wouldn't accept responsibility, and crying. Matthew had been her rock, but she had noticed a change in him. He seemed almost contemptible of the Church, now that they rejected her so harshly. The Church didn't understand that with the parents as politicians, this would wreck their reputation.

"Tomorrow." Emily froze, her mind taking her back to a November 13 thirteen years ago. November 13 did not seem to be a good day for her. Memories from that day had begun to register in her head, and she remembered the crying, the way Jessica had pushed her father away, drawing his attention to herself. She admired her for that.

She saw how Matthew immediately rushed to her side when he noticed she had gone pale. She shook her head, warding him off, "It's nothing… Just thought it'd be later, you know. And a really terrible thought just registered in my head."

He nodded understandingly, his eyes warm. "I get it, Em. I really do." She smiled at me. He was so supportive, even if he had been raised as Catholic. Premarital sex and abortion aren't really aspects of a Catholic, so he being here, next to her, meant a lot.

Matthew Benton stared at the oddly quiet fifteen year old. "You know I'm not disgusted at you, Em, right?"

At his words, her black-brown eyes filled with tears, and the only thing she could've said to him was, "Thank you." And even that, she thought, wasn't nearly enough to thank him.

Twenty-four hours later, in a hospital gown, curled into a tight ball, trying her best to ignore the pain in her abdomen, she thought about better times, even if associated with the worst events.

"_Jennifer?"_

_The girl in question turned, shooting a brilliant smile and the bed-ridden brunette. "What's up Em?"_

_Emily nodded at the deck of cards and the chessboard next to her hospital bed. "Take your pick."_

_The smile turned into a full out grin as the blonde bounced onto the bed, grabbing the deck of cards. "I want to play 'Gin'!" Emily shot her a weird look. _

"_You're eight and you know how to play 'Gin'?" Jennifer laughed, the pure, innocent sound making her smile._

"_Hey, you come hang out in East Allegheny and you'll know how to play gin when you're five. We're the town that's too small for a bowling alley, remember?"_

_Emily laughed, for the first time in two years._

Memory had Emily Prentiss in its grip, and it wasn't going to let go.

"_Have any more interesting stories to tell?" The blonde cocked an eyebrow at the mostly silent girl huddled against the wall._

"_How do you do it?" Emily whispered. "How do you sit in a dungeon like this for," she glanced up at the markings on the wall, "twenty seven days and still be smiling, and laughing and talking? Where do you find that spark of happiness, JJ?"_

"_Well," JJ said, "I guess I try to remember that even if we're stuck here in this 'dark tunnel' there's always the light at the end, and that we'll eventually get there, one way or the other."_

_Emily managed a wan smile at the blonde, "You're pretty wise for an eight year old girl."_

"_That tends to happen a lot with home life like mine." JJ thought aloud. Emily narrowed her eyes at the blonde, truly taking in the tan skin, noticing the bruises and cuts. "Your father beats you too, Jennifer?"_

"_Yeah," the blonde nodded, "but after a while it's not new, and eventually it's kind of numbing, and you don't really feel anything."_

Crying out, as the pain in her abdomen rippled, Emily knew what this was.

This was it.

**A/N: Sorry, still have exams going on. Will do my best to get the next chapter up. Hope you liked it! Reviewww….**

**-snores-**

**~S12**


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